Top 3 Finishers

INDYCAR announces qualifying revisions

By
Dave Lewandowski
| Published:
May 17, 2015

Indianapolis 500 Mile Race qualifications

• What: Old National Armed Forces Pole Day qualifications for the 99th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. ... Qualification attempt consists of four consecutive timed laps. ... The scheduled "Fast Nine Shootout" -- the fastest nine cars from initial qualifications returning for a single four-lap timed run to determine the Verizon P1 Award and first three rows for the May 24 race -- has been canceled. No points will be awarded for qualifications.

• On-track schedule (all times Eastern):

1:30-2 p.m. -- First half of draw practice
2-2:30 p.m. -- Second half of draw practice
3:15 p.m. -- Qualifications begin; all cars get one four-lap qualifying attempt for positions 1-30
-- Qualifying for positions 31-33 will begin about 30 minutes following the previous session; multiple attempts as time permits

Because of three separate, single-car incidents in the past five days in which race cars have gotten airborne in practice, INDYCAR also announced the following measures for qualifications:

-- The boost level, which was increased from 130 kPa to 140 kPa for “Fast Friday” practice May 15 and scheduled qualifications May 16, was returned to 130 kPa for Pole Day qualifications. That relates to about a 40 horsepower reduction to the Chevrolet and Honda 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines. The boost level will remain at 130 kPa for final practice on Coors Light Carb Day on May 22 and the 500 Mile Race on May 24.

-- The aerodynamic bodywork package that Chevrolet- and Honda-aligned entries qualifying with must be utilized in the 200-lap race.

“This morning we saw a third car get into wall, turn backwards and lift into the air. We’ve said all along we want to go faster, but we want to do so safely," said
Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company, parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "As a precautionary measure, INDYCAR will require that the cars qualify today in the same aero set up that they will run in the Indianapolis 500 next weekend. Also, for today, boost levels will return to race conditions. Given these changes, we have elected to not award points for today’s qualifications.

"Safety for drivers and fans is the top priority for INDYCAR and we will continue to be proactive in our research and development to improve all safety aspects of our sport.”

• INDYCAR 15 app: Verizon Wireless puts fans in the driver's seat with its INDYCAR 15 app, which has been enhanced with features such as an interactive 3D live view with real-time leaderboard and car telemetry to see where a fan's favorite driver is positioned, in-car camera video streaming from cameras that move 360 degrees and driver to pit crew conversation. Download it today.

2014 qualifications: Ed Carpenter earned the Verizon P1 Award in the Fast Nine Shootout with a four-lap average speed of 231.076 mph. It was the second consecutive year that Carpenter started from the pole (11th time it’s happened).

Of note: In practice May 16, Helio Castroneves turned the fastest lap (233.474 mph) since the 236.103 mph lap by Eddie Cheever Jr. in the 1996 race. … Team Penske has 15 wins in the Indy 500, the most of any team. … There have been five different winners in five races this season. … There are six former Indy 500 winners entered for qualifying. … Carlos Munoz and Juan Pablo Montoya have finished in the top five in their two previous Indy 500 starts. … Gabby Chaves, the 2014 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion, and Stefano Coletti will attempt to make their first Indy 500 start. Chaves won the 2014 Freedom 100 on the oval. … Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner, will seek to make his 300th Indy car start on May 24. He will be the eighth driver to reach that milestone, most recently by Castroneves in the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 9.